


root beer cookies

by MichaelKyan



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Bakery and Coffee Shop, College, Cookies, Cutesy, Friendship, Gen, Hangover, M/M, ryan wears glasses in this because why the fuck not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 07:12:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3927616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MichaelKyan/pseuds/MichaelKyan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan Haywood finally opened his bakery after years of planning. One morning, Gavin Free is hungover and needs to find a place that serves sweet, sweet coffee. Enter a lanky college kid and a young businessman who has an affinity for extracts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	root beer cookies

**Author's Note:**

> First of two stories I wrote for Story a Day May before giving up :3c tbh I wrote more but this and one other will be the only ones I publish. 
> 
> (and look at me creating my own title without using a song lyric for once! but still fuck capitals lol)

The day that Ryan opened his bakery was one of the best days of his life.

The world was against him, but he dove head first into a pool of education, practice, and icing. Ever since he watched his grandmother create countless baked goods as child, he was inspired to do the same on a professional level. He opened his cafe on a Saturday to the public after offering his services online. There was a small area with chairs and tables, for easy reading or working. There were glass casings displaying varying pastries, from cupcakes to cookies, larger cakes to more complex projects, like eclairs and tarts. Along with all the food, they offered nearly every beverage under the sun, from coffee and tea to milk to bubble tea. Ryan spared no expense, waiting until he had more than enough funds to avoid instant bankruptcy. Ryan hired a small crew, two men named Geoff and Jack, to help him launch his passion. 

The doors opened at 8, after the three of them freshly prepared everything for their first day. A few people came in right away, ordering the sweet treats right off the bat. Some stayed to enjoy the atmosphere while others were off to their weekend jobs. The excitement came back around lunch, when kids and people on their lunch break came in to grab something new for a change. By the time they shut the doors around 5, they felt accomplished. 

Ryan beat the odds, so far.

-

A few weeks went by before the Grand Opening rush died out. Ryan and his crew had a few regulars at this point, always coming in to order the same donut and cup of coffee. A new normal was emerging and Ryan was living the dream. 

One Monday morning rolled around and nearly as soon as they unlocked their doors, a crowd came right inside. Mondays were their busiest days and this one was no exception. Near the end of the rush, one gentleman came in, cradling his head in his hand.

"Hello! Welcome to Haywood You Like A Cookie! What can I getcha?" Ryan asked, using his professional, happy-go-lucky customer voice. 

"Ehh, get me a large caramel coffee and..." his eyes darted to the display case. "One of those donuts with the crumbs on top."

Ryan rang up the order while the man silently groaned the whole time. Geoff ran over with the finished drink after Ryan bagged the donut. "For here or to go?"

"Mmm, for here, I guess," mumbled the man, pulling out some bills from his wallet.

"You alright?" Ryan asked. The man lifted his head from counting to look at Ryan dead in the eye. Ryan took note of all the colors he could see in the iris and the small hairs on his larger than normal nose. He took note of how, when he spoke, a British accent was there. He loved the whirlwind effect of his hair and, despite deep, dark circles under his eyes, found him to be somewhat attractive.

"Yeah, s'hungover," he answered, looking back down at his cash. Ryan nodded, understanding the feeling. 

"Fun night?" Ryan continued, somehow not noticing there was a small line forming.

He nodded, handing Ryan a fistful of bills. He took his small meal and made his way to a table, away from excess light. Ryan watched him for a few moments, taking gentle sips from his coffee and savoring the donut. He could barely focus on his work because of this guy. 

"Hey, Geoff, cover for me," Ryan said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Rye," Geoff shrugged it off. Ryan went over to see how his customer was going.

"Hey, how's the donut?"

The man looked up to see the taller one next to him. He took in the stained beige apron with lots of red dye on it, making it borderline suspicious in any other setting. He took in the frames that balanced between his ears and the slightly scraggly haircut that looked just a little unkempt. His eyes shot through him with their nearly neon blue, recreating the sky. 

"It's delicious, thank you."

"May I...sit with you?" 

The man looked back up and smiled, moving his eyes to the other chair. Ryan took a seat, excited that he wasn't rejected and ordered to go back to work. 

"What's your name?" Ryan asked, unsure how else to begin their conversation.

"Gavin, yours?"

"Ryan."

"It's an absolute pleasure."

They shook hands across the table and Ryan asked if he was feeling any better. Gain said yes, and that the coffee was helping him a lot. It was giving him a much needed sugar boost from having been so dehydrated. Ryan pointed out that he would need water to be hydrated again, not a sugary, caffeinated, ticking time bomb, which Gavin did agree with. Gavin insisted his day was just one step at a time. 

"So, how'd you get a job here?" asked Gavin.

"When I thought of the idea," Ryan replied. He giggled as Gavin's eyed widened, realizing he owned the place.

"Wow! This place is top notch, let me tell you. I'd pass by it for a few weeks but never stopped in, always in a rush, but after last night...I figure it would be a great spot to try out!"

Ryan smiled and thanked him for giving it a chance. Gavin went on to ask him about the business adventure, from the day to day to how the hell he came up with that bakery name. They talked until Geoff had to physically pull Ryan back behind the counter, but not before Gavin promised to come back if he ever had another hangover. 

-

Sure enough, Gavin came back the following Monday, ordered a caramel coffee and crumb donut, but this time, he also added a cup of water. Ryan was more than happy to ring him up, and Geoff let him sit and chat with him again. Gavin told him the story of his night, with ended up with lots of broken glass - from beer bottles and chandeliers. Gavin explained how he was still in college, so he had lots of partying time. Ryan nodded his head, remembering his own days. They swapped various stories, putting lots of trust in one another. By the end of their second visit, it was like they were long lost friends.

-

When Gavin showed up for the third time, he had a little perk in his step. Ryan turned his head towards him, trying to figure out what was up with him. 

"You feeling good?"

"Just not as hungover," Gavin said, smiling. "Figured a small coffee today would do the trick."

Ryan made him his order and sat with him, per usual. Gavin asked how well the bakery was doing while Ryan asked Gavin of his studies. Gavin was hoping to become a game developer someday, and when Ryan asked to see some of his work, he swore to remember his laptop the next time he came to the cafe. 

-

The unthinkable had happened.

Gavin came in the very next day. 

Ryan was busy shuffling around a new employee so he barely noticed when he saw Gavin standing at the counter with a backpack nestled on his shoulders. 

"Is this a bad time?" Gavin asked, suddenly feeling foolish for intruding on Ryan's work time. He took in Ryan's extra scraggly hair and bloodshot eyes. 

"Er- a little bit. I get off at 5 though," Ryan said, trying to think abut a million things at once. "Here."

He took a napkin and scribbled down his phone number. He gave it to Gavin before hurrying away to the sound of beeping in the kitchen. Gavin took in the 10 numbers, smiling while committing them to memory.

-

During his lunch break, Gavin texted Ryan to see what their plan could be. Ryan ended up inviting Gavin to the bakery after hours so he could share some leftovers. Gavin couldn't wait; he became glued to his clock, waiting for the hours to tick away. 

Ryan did the same, all while juggling an abnormally busy Tuesday. Perhaps there was a new show in town and word of mouth was spreading quicker than he anticipated. Once his employees headed out, he flipped the closed sign. He told Gavin just to text him when he got there and he would unlock the door. 

Gavin arrived not too long after five, apologizing for getting stuck in traffic. Ryan assured him it was no worries and offered him some day old pastries. Gavin took a few, not knowing when he would be around for dinner. They settled in some chairs, letting the day's end captivate them both. Gavin showed him his most recent project, from the coding to the art and everything in between. It fascinated Ryan, seeing how intricate games really were. He asked a billion questions and Gavin didn't even mind. In fact, it actually helped him since he was reviewing his work anyways, catching some mistakes along the way. 

After a while, Ryan explained he had to make some cookie dough and offered to let Gavin watch. He felt a tingle of worry, considering he was about to show someone his own recipe (with secret ingredients and all) but he still trusted Gavin. Gavin agreed to help, packing his laptop away. Ryan showed him his kitchen, from the industrial sized mixers to the couple of ovens. He said all they needed were the mixers, so they pulled out some ingredients and got to work. Ryan took him step by step, showing him how to pick out a bad egg or how important it was to level off dry ingredients to be accurate. He then pulled out a special key and pointed to the cabinet above their heads. 

"This is where I keep some of my secret ingredients. They're not _top_ secret as I have to advertise the flavor and all but, like, still pretty secret. Now, I consider you a friend, so you get to pick which one I use. I'll give you cred, don't worry. Are you ready?"

Gavin nodded, opening the wooden doors. Inside were dozens of little bottles, all labeled as either an essence or an extract. 

"I rarely use vanilla extract on its own. It's too boring for me. So, I try new things with different extracts, there's a bunch in there."

Gavin rummaged through, fascinated by all the varying flavors. He passed mint and almond, to cherry and orange. He even found flavors like banana and coconut. He moved a few more around before finding the most interesting one of all.

"'Root beer concentrate'?" Gavin read, holding up the bottle. "They actually make this?!"

"Oh yeah! One of my buddies got that for me for this place. I've never tried it...should we?"

"Yeah!"

Ryan added a splash into the batter, the smell of soda hitting the room. They mixed it all together and rolled the dough into logs to be sliced the next morning. Ryan would come in early to bake them, assuring customers of fresh products. They cleaned up a bit before packing up for the night.

As Ryan and Gavin headed out, Gavin stopped him on the street. 

"Thanks for showing me your work, and trusting me with something really important," Gavin said, putting his hand on Ryan's shoulder. 

Ryan smiled and covered it with his own. "Thank you for showing me your work, too. And thank you for giving my bakery a try in the first place."

"Oh yeah!" Gavin exclaimed, "And thanks for not judging me really hardcore when I would come in hungover. Lots of other places would give me dirty looks but you never did."

Ryan was beaming and he pulled Gavin into a hug. Gavin readily accepted the hug back, feeling the warmth on the cool night. 

Everyday thereafter, Gavin would stop by for coffee in the morning and volunteer bakery assistance at night. Once the semesters passed and Gavin was out of college for a little while, Ryan hired him to so he could earn something for his hard work. They worked side by side, only being apart when they went to their respective homes. Even that didn't last long when Ryan offered Gavin to move in with him over the summer, avoiding having to rent something out of his price range. Together day and night, they would bicker occasionally but they were able to defuse the bombs before anything got too out of hand. Ryan's employees would tease them something fierce, but it didn't even phase the duo. 

They were the best of friends, fighting the world one root beer cookie at a time.

**Author's Note:**

> guess who wants to open a bakery someday ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> Thanks for the read!
> 
> My twitter- @michael_kyan  
> My tumblr - maniacmessiah


End file.
